Collapsible core for constructing culverts.



F. D. FEARNE & C. V. JOSEPH.

COLLAPSIBLE CORE FOR CONSTRUCTING CULVERTSr APPLICATION FILED our. 3. I911- Feb. 26, mm.

3 SHEETS-SHEET-L Wimpy- E. D. PEAHNE 5: G. V. JOSEPH.

COLLAPSIBLE CORE FOR CONSTRUCTING CULVERTS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 13, 19. v

mfi'mmo Patented, Feb. 26,1918

F F W MW III! F. D. PEARNE & C. V. JOSEPH. CIOLLAPSIBLE CORE-FOR comsmucnms CULVERTS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I3. 1917- m 9 1 6 2 .be F m t m DA 3' SHEETS-SHEET 3- rinrrnn srarns ratrnn'r oration FRANK 'D. PEARNE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND CHESTER V. JOSEll-I, OF TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA, ASSIGNORS TO HIGHWAY IRON PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF INDIANAPOLIS,

INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

Specification in Letters Patent.

Patented rep. as, rare.

Application filed October 13, 1917. Serial No. 196,365.

To all whom it may concern Be 1t known that we, FRANK D. PEARNE and CHESTER V. JOSEPH, citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, and Terre Haute, in the county of Vigo and State of Indiana, have lnvented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Cores for Constructing Culverts; and we do hereby declare that the following is a'full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereof, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in collapsible forms or cores for use in constructing concrete culverts, and refers more especially to forms for this purpose adapted for use in open trench work where the trench is first excavated and finished at itsbottom with a concrete or other floor; the core thereafter being placed in the trench and expanded to adjust it to proper size, whereupon the concrete, to constitute the arched shell of the culvert, is formed on the core. After the concrete sets the core is contracted to release the core shell from the walls of the culvert and the core 'is then withdrawn from one end of the culvert section thus formed. The extensible and contractible core may, however, be adapted to other specific uses without variation of construction or function of the constitutent parts.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide an improved sectional shell for such cores, so constructed and arranged as to permit said sections to be adjusted upon each other and relatively to the supporting members of the core to thereby adapt the form to culverts of varying dimensions.

Another object of the invention is to provi'dc a novel means for connecting shell sections to each other in overlapped relation to support certain of the sections from the others, with the connections between the sections arranged to provide more or less overlap to adapt the shell to cores of different radii.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel means for connecting two or more collapsible cores in such a way that a section of culvert, corresponding in length to the number of cores used, may be constructed simultaneously, while'at the same time avoiding shifting of the cores in such a way as to derange the sections of the abutting cores.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel means for mounting the shell section supporting and swinging links on the frame of the device in such manner as to give clearance to the pairs of links which cross each other.

Other objects of the invention are to improve and simplify cores for the purpose specified, and the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of the parts illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification, and is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an end viewof a core embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the core, illustratthe core frames together in end to end relation.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the core frame has the form of a carriage, being mounted on wheels so that it may be readily moved from place to place. Said frame comprises two parallel, longitudinal side members 10, 10, convenientlymade of Lbeams and said. beams are connected at their ends and at points between their ends by transverse plates 11 which have depending bearings 12 to receive shafts 13 on which are mounted supporting wheels 14-. '15, 15 designate two pairs of sliding heads, each pair located between one end of the shaft and its longitudinal center. The cross section of said heads is shown in Fig. 1. Said heads are mounted to the slide on the frame bars 10 and, for this purpose, the heads are provided with downwardly and upwardly facing bearing portions 16, 17. respectively, which engage the upper and -l.-scr'ew threadedopenings to receive a .hori.-.

lower faces, respectively, of the frame bars l0, and said bearing portions 16 and 17 are connected by vertical members 18 that lie inside of ainda're in contact with theinner flanges of the frame bars. Below said lower bearing portions 17 the heads are provided with laterally directed lugs 19.

Said heads are provided with alined,

zontal actuating screw threaded shaft 22, which is made of two sections that are connected cen ally of the sh ft by a coup ing Ea h ec on of t e shaft 22 is provided with ght nd le t'ha d screw threads so that,'wh en the shaft is rotated, the heads of each pair are caused to approach or recede. from each other, depending upon the direction of rotation of the shaft. The threads at each end of the shaft are of equal pitch so that the heads of the two pairs Y move at equal speeds in both directions.

Said shaft is 'rotatively mounted in bearing blocks 24, 2d which extend between and are bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to and rise from the frame bars at the ends thereof. A crank 25, or other form of actuatingdevice, is provided by which said shaft may b t ted Each sliding head is provided above the axis of the shaft 22 witha curved series of spaced lugs 26, 26. Said lugs and the lugs 19 at the bases of the heads. support the inner ends of swinging links 28, 28, the outer is. of like cross section butis madeup of two angle bars separated by spacing blocks 32 5 to provide in the crown bar a slot; 33; for a purpose hereinafter to be described. T he said links are-hinged at their outer ends to said bars 30, 31 by means of hinge bolts 3%. The links asso *iated with each. pair of heads 15 are arranged tocross each other, as best shown in Flg. witi the pairsof llIlkS which are h nged at their inner ends to the outer head of each pair hinged at their outer ends to the shell supporting barstoward their centers, and with th'e. pairs. of. links likewise hinged to. the

inner head of each pair connected to said supporting. bars toward their ends. The

links of each pair are spaced apart a. distance duetothe thickness of the associated lugs 26, andonelink of each pair extends between thelinks of a mating pair.

In order-toavoid contact of thelinks at their crossing. points, which would produce friction tending to retard relative movement of the links, the hinge lugs 26 of one head of each pair are radially oli'set with respect to the corresponding lugs of the other head, as will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 1. This may be conveniently effected by radially offsetting the lugs relatively to the center of the circle upon which curved series of lugs are described, which. in the present instance, is the axis of .the shaft 22.

When said lugs are so disposed, all. of the heads 15 maybe cast from the same pattern and, by reversing one head of each pair relatively to the other head, the lugs of one head shaft 22 is rotated to cause the sliding heads 15 of each pair to approach each other,the-

pivots 2.9 of the links being radially fixed.- the outer ends of the links are swung outwardly to cause the shell section supporting bars to move radially outwardly. When the shaft is rotated in a direction to cause the sliding heads of each pair to recede from each other, the said links are folded inwardly toward the shaft and ha vo the cllcct to move the shell supporting bars inwardly and contract the core frame.

The shell of the core is composed of a number of longitudinal sections of relatively thin metal plates which overlap at their side. margins. As herein shown the shell is composed of eight of. said sections, to wit,- two crown sections 36,- 36, two bottom sec tions. 37, 3.7, and intermediate sections 38.

39.. The crown. and intermediate sections are transversely curved to conform. to the radius, of the core frame when the latter is adjusted for a. mean or average dimension culvert, while the bottom sections 37 are approximately transversely straight. The crown sections 36 are provided at their upper edges with downturned flanges 40 which are fitted into the space 33 between. the members of the top shell supporting bar 31, and said sections are made of such width as to overlap or lie at their outer margins on the two supporting bars 30 next adjacent thereto.

Thesaid crown: sections and intermedim'c sectionsare provided with a plurality of sets of laterally spaced slits 41, there being a number of such sets spacedlongitudinally ol' the-sections. The-intermediate and. the bottom shell sections are provided at their upper'edges-witli a series of longitudinallr spacedhooks 42whichare adapted to lit into the slits of the next: super-adjacent shell Sections insuchmanner that the lower shell sections mutually support each other and are suspended from the crown sections. If des1red the crown sections may comprise a single or integral plate attached in any suitable manner to the crown bar of the core frame. In order that the hooks 42 may freely enter said slits 41, the material of the sections at the upper edges of the slits are bent inwardly to form lips 43 as best shown in Figs. 1 and l. Each of the shell sections are herein shown as provided in its width with three of such slits. The provision of the slits 41 and hooks 42, arranged as described, enables the shell sections to be adjusted upon each other so as to overlap to a greater or less extent and thereby provide means for adjusting a fixed number of shell sections of fixed widths to varying radii of the core frame.

In setting up the core after the core frame has been introduced into the trench the core frame is adjusted by turning the shaft 22 in a direction to move the sliding heads 15 toward each other to increase the radius of the core, or away from each other to decrease such radius. After the frame has thus been adjusted the crown sections are fitted to the topmost or crown shell supporting bar 31 with the flanges l0 engaged in the recess 3-3 of said bar. The said flanges 40 are provided with a number of notches 44, at points along itslength to receive the spacing blocks 32 of said bar. In placing the crown sections on the core frame, the outer sides or marginal portions thereof are supported by the bars 30 next adjacent to the central bar 31. The shell sections 38 are next placed in position by engaging their hooks 4:2 with the appropriate slits 4-1 in the crown sections, which correspond. with the predetermined dimensions of the core, and the outer or lower marginal portions thereof are supported on the next lower supporting bars. Thereafter, the shell sections 09 are in like manner fitted to the section 38 and finally the bottom shell sections 37 are in like manner fitted to the intermediate shell sections 39 and are supported at their lower marginal portions by the lowermost supporting bars 30.

It will be noted that all of the shell sections are removably supported on the core frame and that all of said sections, excepting the crown sections, may be adjustably and detachably connected to super-jacent sections through the medium of the series of books 42 and laterally spaced slits 41. The crown sections 36 are sprung outwardly at their outer margins, or are straightened, as the core frame is expanded to adjust themselves to varying radii of the core frame. The intermediate and bottom sections, however, are subjected to little or no bending or straightening movement in-the adjustment of theframe, but are adjusted to different radii of the core frame by detachment from their supporting sections and applying their hooks 42 to different sets of slits ll.

It will be observed from an inspection of Fig. 4: that the lower pairs of lugs 26 of each head a e substantially parallel with the bottom lugs 19 of the sliding heads so that the links 28 associated with said parallel lugs move in approximately horizontal planes. With this arrangement the bottom sections 37 of the shell will be maintained substantially vertical at all times, regardless of the radius of the crown of the shell.

After the core frame has been adjusted and the shell sections applied thereto the core may be covered by a flexible material, such as thick paper, to prevent the concrete from falling through spaces or openings in the shell and this sheet may be held in place by wires or hoops embracing and drawn lightly about the core in a known manner.

It will be furthermore noted that the construction of the core frame, embracing the carriage located a distance below the center the circle about which the curved series of link hinge lugs are described, and the provision of the lugs 19 at the bottom of said frame provides a core of considerable more than 180 degrees in circumference, with that portion of the shell below said center main tained vertical and maintains the sides of the shell parallel to eachother, and this regardless of the radius of the crown of the shell. Said construction also serves to produce an. exceedingly rigid core frame wherein the weight is carried by frame members that may be made strong and rigid and well calculated to carry the load without throwing supporting stress on the assembled shell.

In Figs. 3 and 6 is shown the manner of joining two or more abutting cores which are adjusted to produce at one time a culvert section of a length equal to that of the joined sections. The core frames are placed end to end and adjusted to the desired dimensions and, after the shell sections are applied to all of the core frames the abutting ends of the several shell sections may be connected by short connecting plates 50, 51 and 57. The upper plates 50 are provided with marginal hooks 52 to engage in one set of the slits 41 of the crown shell sections 36 and are provided at their lower edges with slits 53 to receive other hooks 54 on the next lower plates 51. The said connecting plates 51 are likewise provided with slits 55 to receive the books 56 of the lowermost connecting plates 57. The set of short overlapping plates thus connected to the abutting shell sections afford a connection between abutting cores which will prevent relative shifting of the shell sections of abutting cores when the concrete is poured or dumped 011 the core in. the formation of the culvert.

The abutting cores may also be additionally joined by means of hooked latches,

58 which are connected to certain shell supporting bars of one core frame and are adapted to engage lugs 59 extending laterally from corresponding supporting bars of the adjacent core frame. In order that these latches may be automatically released from said lugs when the cores are contracted said latches are shown as slidably connected to the shell supporting bars, as by means of rivets or bolts 61 extending through longitudinal slots 62 of the latches; and the latches are placed under the influence of retracting springs "63 which tend to draw the latches inwardly with their hooked ends inside the ends of the shell supporting bars. Witn this construction when the core frame which carries the lugs is contracted the said lugs are moved away from" the hooks of the latches, whereupon the springs 63 retract the latches. I

We claim as our invention 1. A core for the purpose set forth comarisin an ex )ansible and contractible core frame having shell supporting members and a shell supported thereon comprising a plurality of sidewise overlapping shell sections, with means to detachably connect them in different overlapping adjustments relatively to each other.

2. A core for the purpose set forth comprising an expansible and contractible core frame having members to support a shell and a shell supported by said members comprising a plurality of sidewise overlapping shell sections, each provided with hooks and with spaced Slits to receive the hooks of other sections.

3. A core for the purpose set forth comprising an expansible and contractible core frame embracing shell supporting members, an inverted U-shape shell supported thereon composed of a series of longitudinal, laterally overlapping sections, with means to detachably and adjustably support certain of the sections from the others and other means to support the last mentioned sections on the core frame.

4. A-core for the purpose set forth comprising an expansilole and contractible core frame havingshell supporting members, an

inverted U-shape shell supported thereon comprising a plurality of longitudinal. laterally overlapping sections, embracing a crown section, with means to fix it to and support it on the frame'and other sections having means to detachably and adjustably fit them to and laterallyoverlap them on said crown section.

, 5. A core for the purpose set forth comprising an expansible and contractible core frame having shell supporting members, an inverted U-shape shell supported thereon comprising a plurality of longitudinal. laterally overlapping sections, embracing, a

crown section with means to detachably fix it to and support it on the frame and other sections having means to detachably fit them to and support them on said crown section, with means whereby to adjust the overlap of said latter sections relatively to each other and to the crown section.

6. In a mold for the purpose set forth, the combination with overlapping wall sections having means to adjust the extent of overlap thereof and to suspend one wall section from the other.

7. In a mold for the purpose set forth, the combination with overlapping wall sections, provided with a series of hooks and with a series of laterally spaced slits to receive said hooks.

tl A core for the purpose set forth comprising a shaft, a series of supporting and enpandiiu links pivotally connected at their inner ends to said shaft, a series of longitudinal shell supporting bars pivotally connected to the outer ends of said links and a shell supported on said bars comprising a series of longitudinal, laterally overlapping sections, with means whereby the crown section is connected to and is supported on the upper bar and means whereby the lower sections are mutually suspended from each other and from the crown section and are supported by the other bars.

9. A core for the purpose set forth comprising a shaft, a series of supporting and expanding links pivotally connected at their inner ends to said shaft, a series of longitudinal shell supporting bars pivotally connected to the'outer ends of said links and a shell supported on said bars comprising a series of longitudinal, laterally overlapping sections, with means whereby the crown section is connected to and is supported on the upper bar and means whereby the lower sections are mutually suspended from each other and from the crown section and are supported bv the other bars, said suspended means including means to varv the extent of overlap of the sections to adjust them to varying dimensions of the core frame.

10. A core for the purpose set forth comprising a series of supporting and expanding links, with means connected to the inner ends thereof to swing the outer ends of the links in radial planes, shell supporting bars pivotally supported on the outer ends of said links and a shell supported on said bars comprising a crown section which is suppor ed on the crown bar of the core and other sections overlapping each other and said crown section, with adjustable means at the overlapping parts to support said last mentioned sections from the crown section and from each other.

11. A core for the purpose set forth comprising a series of supporting and expanding links, with means connected to the inner ends thereof to swing the outer ends of the links in radial planes, shell supporting bars pivotally supported on the outer ends of said. links and a shell supported on said bars comprising a crown section supported on the crown bar of the core and other sections overlapping each other and the crown sec= tion, said sections being provided at their overlapping parts with a series of hooks and with a series of laterally spaced slits to receive said hooks.

12. In a core for the purpose set forth, a: shell section provided at one margin with a. series of longitudinally spaced hooks and provided between its margins with a series. of late ally spaced slits to receive the hooks of a mating section. v

13. In a core for the purpose set forth, a crown shell section provided at one margin with a longitudinal flange and provided between its margins with laterally spaced slits.

14. A collapsible culvert form comprising a centrally disposed longitudinal frame, with wheels directly supporting said frame, heads movable on said frame toward and from each other, a screw threaded shaft to' positively move said heads toward and from. each other, shell supporting and expanding links pivoted to said heads above the plane of said shaft, with shell supporting and expanding links pivoted also to the said heads at points below said plane, and an in verted U-shaped sectional shell supported on said linkswith the lower edges thereof below the plane of said shaft and with the lower sides or skirts of said shell substantially vertical.

15. A core for the purpose set forth comprising a frame, a pair of sliding heads thereon having axially alined screw threaded openings, a shaft rotatively mounted in the frame and provided with right and left hand threads to engage said openings, said heads being provided with a curved series of hinge lugs, with the lugs of one head radially out of line or offset with respect to the lugs of the other head, pairs of shell supporting and expanding links pivoted to said lugs, with the links associated with one head crossing those associated with the other head, and with one of the links of each pair extending between the links of a mating pair shell supporting members pivotally supported on the outer ends of said links, and wheels directly supporting said frame independently of said shell supporting memers.

16. A core for the purpose set. forth comprising a central, longitudinal, wheeled frame, a pair of sliding heads thereon having axially alined screw threaded openings, a r0- tative shaft above said frame and provided with right and left hand threads to engage said openings, said heads being provided with a curved series of hinge lugs, shell supporting and expanding links pivoted to said lugs, said heads being provided below said shaft with other pairs of hinge lugs and other shell supporting and expanding links pivoted to the latter lugs, the latter links being approximately parallel to the lower links of the first mentioned series.

A core for the purpose set forth co nprismg a frame, and supporting wheels directly sustaining said frame, two pairs of sliding heads mounted on said frame and provided with axially alined screw threaded openings, a shaft rotatively mounted in the frame and provided with two sets of right and left hand screw threads to engage corresponding threads in the openings of said heads, said heads being provided with a.

. curved series of spaced hinge lugs, pairs of shell supporting and expanding links hinged to said lugs and independent of said wheels, with the pairs of links associated with one head of each pair crossing the links associated with the other head of each pair, and :shell supporting members pivotally supported on the outer ends of said links, the hinge lugs of each pair of heads being radially offset or out of line with respect to the lugs of the other head.

A core for the purpose set forth com- -prising a frame comprising parallel, con- :nected beams, a pair of sliding heads having upper and lower bearing portions to engage the upper and lower faces, respectively, of said beams, a shaft rotatingly mounted in said frame and extending through alined screw threaded apertures, of the heads, and provided with right and left hand threads to cooperate with the screw threads of the head, a curved series of hinge lugs on said heads above the axis of said shaft, shell supportlng and expanding links pivotally connected to said lugs, said head being provided below said shaft, with other lugs and shell supporting and expanding links pivoted thereto.

19. The combination with two expansible and contractible cores adapted to be ar ranged end to end, of locking means for locking the cores inend to end relation, embracing means to automatically release the locking means when one of the cores is contracted.

20. The combination with two expansible and contractible cores adapted to be arranged end to end, of locking means for locking the cores in end to end relation. 12o embracing a sliding, spring retracted latch on one core and a lug on the other core adapted to be engaged by said latch.

21. The combination with two cores ar ranged end to end, each embracing an expansible and contractible frame. and a sectlonal shell supported thereon, of connecting plates adapted to extend between and overlap the shells of abutting cores, with means whereby said connecting plates are detach- 13 2 ably'connected at their overlapping portions to the ends of the shell sections.

22. The combination with two cores arranged end to end, each comprising an expansible and contractible frame and a shell composed of a plurality of longitudinal, laterally overlapping shell sections, with means at their overlapping parts to detachably support one shell section from another, of connected plates extending between and overlapping the adjacent ends of said shell sections and having means to detachably lock them at their overlapping parts to said shell section.

In Witness whereof We claim the forego- 15 mg as our invention, we hereunto append our signatures in the presence of two witnesses at Chicago, Illinois, this 6th day of October, 1917.

FRANK D. PEARNE. CHESTER V. JOSEPH. Witnesses W'. L. HALL, KATHARiNE Gammon;

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, IL 0. 

